Headlight for automobiles



H. w.- DAVIS. HEADLIGHT FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION HLED MN- 22, 1920.

Patented Mar. 1,1921.

MOI/M Mi H. w. DAVIS.

HEADLIGHT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICIATXON FILED JAN, 22, 1920.

Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEE'I 2- lmmm I UNITED STATES" PATENT; OFFICE.

v :EARRY w. DAVIS, 01* DAN ILLE; IIjLiiIois,

' HEADLIGHT Foe AUTOMOBILES.

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, HARRY citizen of the United States, residing atDanville 'in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinoisyhaveinventedv certain new and useful Improvements in Headlights forAutomobiles, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to headlights for automobiles, and it relatesparticularly to" that classgin which thelights are automaticallydirectedto the course to be taken by a moving vehlcle on Which-they arem0unted.- The object of the inventionis to provide means forretaining'and manipulating the headlight fixtures, of such constructionthat the lights shall be held'and moved on an automobile in a manner toprevent undue jar to or difficulty in insuring thefturning of theheadlights to throw alight in'the direction' in which the front Wheelsof theveportion of the means for controllingthepohicle are directed: Affurtherobjectof the invention isto providemeans under the convementcontrol of the driver ofacar whereby the headlights may be connected-toor disconnected 'trom a portion of the steering mechanism of the carpermitting the headlights to be-turned With the frontvvhe-els of thecar, or to be maintained in position to cast lig" with t'he' bodythereof.

Having these and; other objects in vievv,

the inventionconsists of the novel construction and combin'ationsof themounting, dirooting and connecting and disconnecting devicessubstantially as hereinafter de scribed and claimed. y r If One for-motembodiment of the invention is illustrated in'the accompanyingdrawing,in which: i v f Figurel is a' side view, partly in rsection, of theforward portion; of the frame of an automobile, with my light" mountingand controlling means applied thereto Fig; 2 is] a front view of anautomobile frame and a portion of the steering gear, v

showing the manner 0t mounting a d mov ing head-lights; a

the means for'sup'porting aheadlight, and a sition of the} headlight; ii

Figs 45 is a detail view partly in section of a portion'of the means fordetachably conneetii'ig" the headlights with the steering W.' DAVIS, a

lights.

t's from -the' front of al car'in line I Patented Mar. 1, 19 21.gpplicatiqnr filed January 22,-192o=lseria1 No. ssazosq i .r ig. his alan 'v iew of a holder and ala, designed to be connected: to aportionofthe steering :gear and :to receive :a rod which forms a portionofrzthetmeans for causing: the lamps to move in umson with V I the frontWheels of an automobile; I

In these dravvings'l represents-a portion;

of'the frame of an automobile and 2, 2 represent plates securedtoeachfside of the frame and forming supports for the headders 3,the'inner facesof the detachable heads la nd- 5; whereof are providedwith circular irrunvva'ys receiving anti-friction balls 6.? l

.Fig16risa side view of the-holder a Attached to the plates 2-a1e cylin-H Tine headlights 7, yvhich mam dsired klIldJ, are -mounted'upon-RstandardsS extendingzthrough' the cylinders and; havingsecured-thereto-disks 9iand 10; Each disk has formed on its outer faceacircular groove corresponding in: diametertoltherunways in theheads ofthe cylinder; vvhich grooves receive the ahti-frictionloalls'6is Themount ing. thus tor-med: insures the turning olithe i rodsS andheadlights by thewap'plic'ation of slight force and Without friction.

' The. lowervends 11 of the standards 8 e2;- tend at right angles totheir main portions; andthese ends are-each -pivotally connected to one.end' of a rod 12-extending transversel'y .ofthe frame 'of 'the'automobileifiso that the longitudinal movementin, either d-ilrection'ot-the .rod 12 Will'cause' a .-correL-' sponding turning: of thestandardsand the headlights.

I ordering mechanism-of'the automobile or to re- V hat the rod l2jmaybeycaused to move i'n'unison with a portionofthe steer? I place bythe coilsprin'g 18, I provide adetachable connectionbetvveen the redand-the crosssteering bar 14; The form ofaconnec- 7 :tion herein" shownconsists of 'asleeve 15 surrounding the rod 12- free to rotatethere onand incapable-ofindependent longitudi Y nal movement, and an: arm 16.The T upper end of the arm 16- has'secured to it one por tion 17 of ahead which surrounds the sleeve 15, the other portion of they head belngformed by the plate 18 bolted: to the; p01;

tion and clamping the sleeve. Projecting. into the head is a set-screw20, the inner end of which bears upon the sleeve securingthe head andsleeve together. 7 v j The lower end of the arm 16 is connected to thecross steering bar 14 by a yoke 21,

which, While permitting'the parts to 'niove upand down independentlybecause of the r action ofthe springs supporting the body of theautomobile, will. cause them to move longitudinally in unison. The yokeconsists of a sectionalcollar 22 surrounding and secured: to the bar'14,and the'fingers 23 pivoted 'tothe collar. 7 Each finger is provided inits inner face with a roller 24 having a curveddepression to receive thearm 16, and the. fingers are normally held by a spring 24'" to maintainthe rollers in contact with the tension of the spring.

point.

the arm rIn this way-free upand down movement of the arm independentlyof the steering bar. is 138111'1ltt8d, while lateral "movement of thebar is Communicated to the .arni 16 and the parts connected thereto. Theremoval of the arm from the fingers maybe accomplished by theapplication of sufiicient force to separate the jaws against W'henthesleeve 15 is so positioned that the inner end of the arm 16is heldbetween the fingers 23, such a connection is established between thebar14 and the. headlights as to'cause the latter to move'with theshifting of the bar and to throw lights in whatever direction thelfrontwheels of the car If the sleeve is turned to remove the arm 16 from thefingers 23 no movement will be communicated from the bar 14 to the rod12 and the lamps, and the latter will rfloor '9 of the'car,and the otherend of the ges be maintained by the opposing springs 13 in. positions tothrow light forward in line with the body of the car. 7

The manipulation of the sleeve 15 may be accomplished in any suitableway, and preferably' for convenience it is governed by a driver of anautomobile by a connection within his easy reach. The means herein shownconsists of a lever '25 with'which is formed a head 26 having an openingre-' lever has in it a slot 32 receiving a pin 33 extending from a head34. Attached to the head 34 is a sleeve 35 into which projects aslidable rod 36. The sleeve 35 has in it a slot 37 into which extends apin 38 projecting from the rod 36, the movement of the rod in the sleevebeing thus determined by the length of the. slot. The connection formedby the sleeve 35 and the rod 36 is -rende red resilient by means of acoil spring 39surrounding the. rod and bearing at one end against theend of the sleeve and at ,the other end against a stop 40 on the rod.The

sleeve and therod are supported by and free to move in hangers 41depending from the frame 1 of the car, One endof a link 43 is connectedby a universal'joint 42 to the rod 36, and the other end of the link isconnected to tlielower end of the'lever 25. As a convenient means forconnecting the link 43 with the lever 25,-the forward end of the linkhas formed with or attached to it-a'head 44 having in it a socket of asize and shape to receive a.ball*45 on the lower end of the lever 25. I1 w m w;

Attached at one end' to the .lower end of the bell crank lever 31 is acoil spring 46, the'other end being attachedto an arm :47

depending from the frame ofthe'c'aixj The normal positions of the partsaresuch that a connection between the'bar 14 of the steeringniechanismand the headlights is maintained-by reason of the location of the arm-16between the fingers 23 0f the yoke 21, insuring the turning of thelightson their supporting rods correspondingly with the frontwheelsiof thecar. :The. parts are yieldingly held in their, normalpositions by theactionof the spring 46,'which is constantly under'tension... Thedepression'of the pedal will, through the. described-eon, nections,rotatethesleeve to swing the arm 16 to free it from the fingersj23,thuspermitting lateral movement of the bar -14 without rotating .theheadlights. The parts may be held in disconnected "po'sitionsby causingthev plate "30 towengage one of the notches, in'the shank. 29; ;Arelease of the shank permits the spring. 46-to operate, through the bellcrank lever, the lever, 25,

and their connections to rotate the sleeve :15, bringing it to itsnormal position, and-to hold theparts in place toinsurethe-vauto l maticdirecting ofthe headlights.

I claim: v iff-2i -.1.- Means for mounting and controlling theheadlightsvofan automobile comprising rotatable standards for supportingthe headlights, a rod connecting the standards-arotatablesleevesurrounding the rod,'-anarm a; i

, rigidly connected'at one end with the sleeve and detachably connectedat'its other end with a moving part of a steering gear,, a

pedal, and, a connection between the-pedal and, the sleevewhereby thesleeve is rotated.

, 2. Means for m0unting-and controlling the headlights of an automobilecomprising rotatable standards to which the headlights are attached, arod connecting the standards, a movable bar constituting a portion ofaas the pedalis moved steering gear, and a connection between the rod andthe bar consisting of an arm movably connected at one end to the rod anddetachably connected at the other end to the bar by separablespring-held jaws attached to the bar and provided on their meeting faceswith rollers having grooves receiving the arm.

8. Means for mounting and controlling the headlights of an automobilecomprising rotatable standards to which the headlights are attached, arod connecting the standards, a rotatable sleeve arranged onthe rod, aconnection between the rod and a movable portion of a steering gearcomprising an arm having a head attached to the sleeve, a-

lever connected to the sleeve, a pedal, and a connection between thepedal and the lever whereby by the movement ofthe pedal the sleeve isrotated.

4. Means for mounting and controlling the headlights of an automobilecomprising rotatable standards to which the headlights are attached, arod connecting the standards,

a rotatable sleeve arranged on the rod, 2. connection between the rodand a moving 7 portion of a steering gear comprising an ,IBv

arm rigidly connected at one end to the sleeve, and a detachableconnection between the other end of the arm and such moving part of asteering gear, a'pedal, a connection between the pedal and the sleeve,and a spring attached to the connection and tending to rotate the sleeveto bring the arm into contact with its detachable connectionwith themoving part of the steering gear.

5. Means for mountingand controlling the headlights of an automobilecomprising ro-' tatable standards for supporting the-head- 1 the sleeveis rotated, the connection between the pedal and, the sleeve beingyielding,

wherebymovement of the sleeve by reasonof vibration or shocks to anautomobile to which the device is attached is avoided.

In testimony whereof I aflix'my signature.

, HARRY W. DAVIS.

